There are a wide variety of shapes and styles of horse blankets or rugs known from the prior art. The choice of a particular type or style of blanket may be affected by a number of variables, including the size of horse, the climate in which the blanket will be worn, whether the horse will spend the majority of its time indoors or outdoors and the length of time for which the blanket will be worn. There is great variation in size of horse blankets ranging from very small, lightweight summer sheets and indoor sheets to quartersheets used to keep a race horse warm while it cools down after exercise, to turnout rugs which are one of the largest of all types of horse blanket. Turnout rugs are used to protect a horse in cold climates and poor weather conditions and to prevent a horse from losing condition as a result of expending large amounts of energy keeping itself warm.
One of the main problems associated with turnout rugs and blankets of similar size and so-called depth is that the horse is prevented from moving freely when the blanket or rug is tightened underneath the belly. The portions of the blanket or rug which are drawn across the legs, when the securing means situated between the forelegs and hind legs on opposite edges of the blanket or rug are closed, are pulled taut when the horse extends its legs. This prevents the horse from moving its legs freely, which can cause friction-related injuries to the affected areas when the horse exercises or when the blanket or rug is worn for an extended period of time. The injuries caused in these instances affect very sensitive regions of the body of a horse, and it is quite common for these areas to become infected. In the case of a working horse this can lead to long periods of inactivity while the wounds heal, as it is recommended not to tack up a horse if the tack will come into contact with the affected areas.
In a similar fashion, serious friction related injuries to a show horse prevent an owner from showing the horse competitively, which can lead to long periods of inactivity for the horse and resultant loss of condition due to lack of exercise and lack of grooming while the wounds heal.
As well as restricting leg movements the blankets also tend to restrict the normal movements of the horse's body, which can result in discomfort for the horse in the neck and back areas. Each vertebra in the spinal column of a horse can rotate in three planes and this causes three kinds of movement of the spine: extension/flexion, lateral bending and axial rotation.
In the following description, the alternative terms “blanket” and “rug” are referred to by the single term “blanket”.
A horse blanket is known which incorporates a shoulder gusset, which affords the forelegs of a horse a greater degree of movement to that afforded by a blanket without such a structure. The extra material incorporated in the shoulder gusset unfolds to accommodate the movement of the horse and there is consequently less resistance to the movement of the legs when the blanket has been secured and tightened, compared to a blanket without this feature. However, such a gusset does not eliminate the possibility of friction-related injuries occurring, and there is still the likelihood of the blanket material becoming trapped between the horse's inner legs and its body when the horse moves.
A horse blanket is described in Australian Patent No. 553401 which incorporates a shoulder opening covered by loose flaps which is configured to form kick pleats. The kick pleats allow for the natural forward thrust of the shoulder as the horse moves.
However, this blanket is not suitable for cold climates as the shoulder openings result in exposure of the horse's shoulder area to the elements.
Furthermore, this design of blanket does not address the problem of the restriction of the normal bending movements of the horse's body as described above.
European Patent No. 1 469 718 B1 describes a blanket having cut-outs in the side edges thereof, which are positioned over the horse's legs in the square halt position. The cut-outs allow lengthwise extension of the blanket when the horse extends its legs and prevent gathering of the blanket between the inner leg and the body of the horse during the reverse movement of the legs. This arrangement prevents the likelihood of friction-related injuries caused by the wearing of the blanket, particularly in the area between the inner leg and the body of the horse and also in the shoulder area.
However, this design of blanket does not address the problem of the restriction of the normal bending movements of the horse's body as described above.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a horse blanket which overcomes the disadvantages of the aforementioned blankets.